


A Home in Its Roots

by Laenix



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Dialogue Heavy, Disability, Family Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Connor, Short One Shot, is it ooc if the original chars could be summed as 'whatever is convenient for the game plot', jussayin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-23 20:45:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18557527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laenix/pseuds/Laenix
Summary: "I thought you saidhewas the evil twin.""Obviously, that's what an evil twin would say." Connor emerged with a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol and tossed it in Markus' direction – and winced as it landed several feet away. "Depth perception. Sorry, forgot."





	A Home in Its Roots

"I'm going to kill him."  
  
"You're so sweet," Markus said, leaning his head back on the couch.  
  
"I'm serious," Connor said, his voice trailing from the open bathroom door. "I know this place by the docks, where I'll get rid of the body. Give the saltwater a couple days to make it unidentifiable, while I show up to his work and pretend to be him. No one will know he's missing."  
  
"I thought you said _he_ was the evil twin."  
  
"Obviously, that's what an evil twin would say." Connor emerged with a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol and tossed it in Markus' direction – and winced as it landed several feet away. "Depth perception. Sorry, forgot."  
  
Markus gave him an unimpressed look as he stood to pick up the bottle, which rolled under the windowsill.  
  
"It says to take two," Connor said, turning to get him a glass of water. He didn't need to look to know his boyfriend had tapped three out into his hand. "You're a _medical_ student."  
  
"Exactly," Markus replied, taking the water. He'd had to lower his hand from his right eye to open the Tylenol, and kept it lowered as he drank. There was swelling there, sure to turn purple within the hour, but not enough to shut the lids completely. He shifted. "I've got an eyepatch in the drawer."  
  
"It'll worsen the bruising," Connor said. He landed on the couch, pulling Markus back down with him.  
  
They looked at the coffee table, where Markus had deposited his acrylic eye. There was a crack along the shelled surface, running through the blue center. The exact same shade of blue could be found in a decades-old photo, the details of it jealously preserved in a cheap aluminum locket, in the tired eyes of a woman holding her newborn child for the last time.  
  
"Can you get it replaced?" Connor asked.  
  
Markus nodded. "I'll call Dr. Klein in the morning. Ugh, we're almost done with October."  
  
"What's wrong with October?"  
  
"Last year, before the implant, I went to this work party dressed up as a film noir detective, and everyone thought I was Nick Fury."  
  
"Nick Fury doesn't wear a fedora."  
  
"They thought I was Nick Fury in a fedora."  
  
Connor made a sound of disgust. "Don't go this year. North and I are gonna go to the rooftop and toss Tootsie Rolls onto children's heads."  
  
Markus hummed dubiously. "The last time I was on a roof, I almost got arrested."  
  
"That's 'cause it wasn't your roof. And you were _vandalizing_."  
  
"I was making a _political statement_. Which your friend Lieutenant Anderson understood – "  
  
"I think he was just more concerned with catching a murder suspect – "  
  
"Unlike a certain _someone –_ "  
  
"It was my first week in the field! I was a little enthusiastic."  
  
"Lucky for me."  
  
"Well," Connor said dryly. "You did get off with a slap on the wrist."  
  
"And a phone number."  
  
"And a phone number," Connor agreed. "North still hasn't forgiven you for dating a cop, by the way."  
  
"Why is she inviting you over for Halloween?"  
  
"I think she might be planning to push me off."  
  
"Oh, I should definitely join you, then."  
  
"Please."  
  
Markus stretched his arm out further for Connor to lean into. "Thank you for making nice with my anarchistic friends. I know they can be a lot."  
  
"I've dealt with more animosity at the dinner table. Exhibit A," he flicked a sullen look towards the coffee table.  
  
Markus tangled his fingers into Connor's, pulling his gaze towards him. "Your brother punches like a Josh."  
  
"What'd you do to get Josh to punch you?"  
  
"Made Simon cry."  
  
" _What'd you do_ –"  
  
"You should ask North. She tells it better, and would love that you're so protective of Simon."  
  
"How could I not be," Connor whispered. "He's a goddamned _puppy._ "  
  
"He can take care of himself."  
  
"He shouldn't _have_ to."  
  
Markus poked him in the stomach. "Hey, my eye fell out. Care about me."  
  
Connor smiled, a smile which Markus had been trailing hopelessly after for the past seven months. He pulled himself up to kiss the bridge of Markus' nose, then his left brow, and an inch higher on his right.  
  
As he made his way down to his neck, his back pocket vibrated once. He made a noise of protest when Markus' hand, which was already positioned there, reached inside to pull out his phone.  
  
"Stop being responsible," Connor chastised.  
  
" _You but Bitchier_ says 'Sorry about your boyfriend's eye.'"  
  
"Fuck if he thinks that'll save him from a watery doom," Connor groused, grabbing the phone and tossing it aside.  
  
"I think he –"  
  
"Markus," Connor said, pulling back and glaring at him. "If you're going to insist on being the bigger person out of, frankly, a deeply concerning sense of martyrdom – and not even an hour after he destroyed _two thousand_ dollars' worth of medical procedure – "  
  
"I have great insurance –"  
  
"I will leave, and you can go to sleep knowing that you chose _that_ over _this,_ " he gestured over _this_ in a way that might've made Markus moan if it weren't belied by the deeply upset look in Connor's eyes.  
  
Markus sighed. The thing was, he knew something about hostile brothers who felt they had to compete for attention of a parental figure. He also knew that it wasn't entirely their fault, that sometimes people became parents before they were ready. Sometimes, whether intentional or not, they made homes where failure was not an option, where jealousy and judgement prevailed.  
  
And, in the way he felt sadness but no regret when he saw green and blue in the mirror, and marked in his calendar regular visits to the Detroit Rehabilitation Center – he recognized a big brother who'd take a bullet for their loved ones, no matter how much they fucked up.  
  
But Connor was right. This wasn't the conversation to have now, and maybe not even with Markus specifically.  
  
So, he pulled Connor back to him, meeting his lips with an apology, and a great many other things. 

**Author's Note:**

> this is kind of rough, feel free to point out any grammatical errors or points of confusion! Thanks for reading :)


End file.
